1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a safety-deposit box r system, and more particularly to the safety-deposit box system using a multi-function key.
2. Description of the Related Art
Banks, credit unions, and securities companies among other organizations (hereinafter, referred to generally as banks) lease safety-deposit boxes to customers for storing valuable items such as documents, seals, and precious metals and stones. Banks must be able to guarantee that the safety-deposit boxes are completely secure against unauthorized entry, but simple and easy to access by actual customers.
There has been known a conventional safety-deposit box system which includes a walk-in vault installed within a bank building. A vault door, hereinafter referred to as the first door, is formed into a wall of the walk-in vault for allowing entry therein. The walk-in vault is divided into two chambers: an anteroom and a safety-deposit box chamber. The anteroom is directly inside the first door upon entering the walk-in vault and is separated from the safety-deposit box chamber by walls and a second door.
Safety-deposit boxes are installed in rows and columns to the walls of the safety-deposit box chamber. Each safety-deposit box is provided with a bank-side lock and a user-side lock, each with a different key. Both locks must be opened to access the contents of the safety-deposit box. The key for user-side lock is kept by the customer and the key for the bank-side lock is kept by the bank.
To open his/her safety-deposit box, a customer must first fill out, sign or similarly execute a form, and submit it to a bank employee. After confirming the identity of the customer by verifying authenticity of the customer's signature, the bank employees escorts the customer through the first door, the antechamber, and the second door and into the safety-deposit box chamber. To open the safety-deposit box, the customer and the bank employee must insert the two keys into respective locks of the safety-deposit box and simultaneously turn the keys to open the locks. To close the safety-deposit box, the customer and the bank employee must again insert the keys into the respective locks and again turn them simultaneously. The bank employee then escorts the customer out of the walk-in vault through the second and first door.
However there has been known a problem with the above conventional safety-deposit box system in that because the first and second doors conceal the safety-deposit box chamber from the vision of bank employees, surveillance is obstructed.
There has been known another problem in that a bank employee must accompany each customer to the safety-deposit box chamber.
A further problem is seen in that the bank verifies the identity of customers and allows him/her to enter the safety-deposit box chamber depending only on a form handwritten by the customer. Records on the comings and goings of customers are also based only on these forms.
A still further problem is that every time a customer wants to open his/her safety-deposit box, he/she must bring his/her key and follow the above time-consuming procedures for opening the safety-deposit box.
To solve the above problems there has been described and put into practice an automated safety-deposit box system which, as does the non-automated type, includes a walk-in vault installed within the bank building, a first door for allowing entry into the walk-in vault, an anteroom and a safety-deposit box chamber, the anteroom being directly inside the first door upon entering the walk-in vault and being separated from the safety-deposit box chamber by walls and a second door.
The automated safety-deposit box system further includes a first card reader, a second card reader, an imprinter installed in the second card reader, and a central control unit. The first card reader is installed outside the walk-in vault near the first door. Inserting an appropriate card into the first card reader unlocks the first door. The second card reader is installed outside the safety-deposit box chamber near the second door. Inserting an appropriate card and inputting an appropriate code number into the second card reader unlocks the second door. The imprinter takes a copy of appropriate cards inserted into the second card reader.
The central control unit is installed, for example, in an office of the bank and is electrically connected to the first card reader, the second card reader, the first door, and the bank-side lock provided to each safety-deposit box. The central control unit includes a central processing unit (CPU), a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, a keyboard, a memory device, and a printer.
According to conventional automated safety-deposit box systems, upon entering a contract to lease a safety-deposit box, in addition to a key to the safety-deposit box, a customer is issued a card containing a magnetic strip onto which is recorded, among other information, a code number designated by and known only to the customer.
After entering the bank, a customer approaches the first door and inserts his/her card into the first card reader, thereby opening the first door. After passing through the first door, the customer enters the anteroom and approaches the second door. The customer inserts his/her card into the second card reader and then inputs his/her code number. The inputted code number is transmitted to the central control unit which checks it with a code number for the customer stored in the memory. Because only the customer knows his/her code number, if the code numbers match, the identity of the customer is confirmed. When the customer's identity is confirmed, the central control unit sends a signal to the imprinter, which then takes a copy of embossment on the card, to the second door, which then opens, and to the bank-side lock of the customer's safety-deposit box electronically connected to the CPU, which then opens. The customer enters the safety-deposit box chamber and opens the user-side lock of his/her safety-deposit box with his/her key. The central control unit records such information as the frequency and time of visits by each customer, customer names, and the duration of time the safety-deposit boxes are open. After the customer is finished using his/her safety-deposit box, he/she locks the safety-deposit box and leaves the walk-in vault through the second and first door.
Conventional automated safety-deposit box systems solve many of the problems of non-automated safety-deposit box systems. For example, safety is insured because only people with a card can enter into the safety-deposit box chamber. Also labor requirements of the bank are reduced because bank employees do not need to escort customers and because records of comings and goings of customers are performed by computer. The computer maintaining records of customer's comings and goings is also more efficient than relying on handwritten forms. A customer can gain entrance to his/her safety-deposit box with relative ease merely by bringing his/her key and card to the bank.
However, there has been known a problem with automated safety-deposit box systems in that the keys and cards used therein can be copied and forged. Therefore even if the bank collects keys and cards from a customer after termination of the lease contract for a safety-deposit box, such copied keys and forged cards can be used to gain entry to the safety-deposit box chamber and the contents of the safety-deposit boxes therein. To prevent this from happening, the bank must change the lock cylinder of the safety-deposit box when a customer terminates his/her lease contract. This raises maintenance costs.
The cards used in automated safety-deposit box systems also create problems. Each card must be specially made and can require as long as a week for delivery. Consequently the customer must wait up to a week before being able to use his/her safety-deposit box. Also the material used to make these cards has low mechanical strength so the cards can be easily bent and damaged. The embossing on the cards prohibits the cards from being reused by ensuing customers.
Further problems arise from the magnetic strips of the cards used in this system. That is, the information recorded on the magnetic strips are affected or destroyed by external magnetic sources. Also, the memory capacity of magnetic strips is compared to a ROM or similar electrical memory unit and prohibits expanding functions of the card beyond identifying the customer.
Also in addition to having to bring the safety-deposit key with him/her as with non-automated systems, customers must also bring the card. Also some steps of procedures for opening the safety-deposit box require the key although others require the card which makes procedures unnecessarily confusing.